Favor

New Things

One of the things that I have been trying to do to help my understanding and comprehension of the scriptures is to change up the translation that I use for my daily Bible reading from year to year. I am not prescribing this as a practice for you because the benefit of getting really comfortable with one translation is also very helpful. However, because I am regularly teaching and preaching from my preferred translation (ESV) this has been a refreshing practice. Sometimes the differing choices of the translators is helpful to cause me to think again about something that seems rather familiar. 

It is the new year and no doubt many pundits, prophets, and gurus will be proclaiming the year of advantage and favor available to those who believe it, claim it, or speak it. Of course what they mean by favor is probably a mix of carnal pleasures, casual employment, and comfortable requirements. But is this how the Bible uses the idea of being favored by God?

Favorites

Favorites are things that we love or enjoy the most. Of course, we assume that being fair and just requires that God does not have favorites. It is true that the scriptures are clear that God abhors the sin of partiality (James 2:1-13). This kind of favoritism is that which comes from preferring one over another based on the advantages or privileges that this one possesses. My point is that God commands us not to prefer one over another regarding things such as wealth or poverty, prominence or obscurity, beauty or disformity, ability or disability or a host of other distinctions we might make. The reason is that God, who has made men to differ, does not judge based on these external standards but rather based upon His own perfect choosing (1 Corinthians 4:6-7).

The reality is that God does make distinctions between men, but not based on the differences between the men but rather based on His infinite and eternal purposes (Romans 9:6-29). So the basis for the election or choosing is found in God. This is not only dealing with eternal salvation but also with God’s providence over the unfolding circumstances of every life. God is in control of both the macro and micro levels of action and reaction within His creation.

Grace

But how is it that God can make distinctions between people without it being favoritism? The answer is found in the definition of grace. I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I was brought to this subject matter through reading a different translation of the Bible. I am most familiar with the ESV (English Standard Version) translation, however this year I am doing my Old Testament reading in the NKJV (New King James Version). 

In Genesis 6:8, the ESV states that “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” but in the NKJV it says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” The Hebrew word translated here carries the idea of acceptance but that acceptance is based not on the object, in this case Noah, but on the One giving the acceptance. In this case it is the LORD. If we read the ESV translation of Noah finding favor, which is a good and acceptable translation, as God seeing that Noah was better than everyone else then we negate the point of this word “favor.” Genesis 6:9 goes on to describe Noah as a just man, perfect in his generations, who also walked with God. But did Noah find favor and grace with God based on these characteristics? I think it is more consistent with the use of this word “favor” or “grace” and the order and flow of the text in Genesis 3 to conclude that Noah has these traits because the LORD accepted him.

Grace is best defined as unmerited favor. That’s really the key to understanding not only how God chose Noah but also how God could choose you and I. God’s choice is not based on some merit in us but on His unmerited favor. This means that everyone that God claims and redeems is a trophy to His divine grace and not to human effort or work or achievement. So If you have decided that you are too sinful or too stupid or too stained to be accepted by God, simply turn to Him in faith because His salvation is based entirely on gracious unmerited favor (Ephesians 2:1-10)!

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